The Manhattans are an American R&B vocal group. Their songs "Kiss and Say Goodbye", recorded in 1976, and 1980's "Shining Star", both sold millions of copies. The Manhattans have recorded 45 hits on the Billboard R&B Chart, including twelve top-10 R&B hits in the United States, starting in 1965. Sixteen of their songs have reached the Billboard Hot 100, including two top 10s and a number-one hit with their song "Kiss and Say Goodbye". They also charted eight U.S. R&B top 20 Albums, three of which were RIAA certified gold. The Manhattans were inducted into The Atlantic City Walk of Fame in September 2024.
Early history
The Manhattans, originally from Jersey City, New Jersey, formed in 1962 with members George "Smitty" Smith (December 28, 1939 – December 16, 1970), Edward "Sonny" Bivins (January 15, 1936 – December 3, 2014), Winfred "Blue" Lovett (November 16, 1936 – December 9, 2014), Kenny "Wally" Kelly (January 9, 1941 – February 17, 2015), and Richard "Ricky" Taylor (1940 – December 7, 1987). Bivins, Lovett, and Kelly graduated from Lincoln High School, while Taylor and Smith graduated from Snyder High School. All five enlisted in the armed forces and came together as a group following their discharges from their respective branches.
left|thumb|1966
The group's first single was "For the Very First Time", released in 1964 by Carnival Records. Taylor left in 1976 to concentrate on his conversion to Islam.
Winfred "Blue" Lovett, the group's original bass singer and songwriter, died on December 9, 2014, at the age of 78. His bass voice was heard on many Manhattans hits, including the spoken word intro to "Kiss and Say Goodbye". He was replaced by Gerald Alston's cousin, Dwight Fields in The Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston till his death on August 26, 2016.
Kenneth "Wally" Kelly, the last surviving original member of the group, died on February 17, 2015, at the age of 74.
Lead singer Gerald Alston is the only member alive of the group's heyday lineup.
David Tyson, a member of The Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston died of an illness on February 17, 2022, at the age of 62.
On September 23, 2024, The National R&B Music Society inducted The Manhattans into The Atlantic City Walk of Fame. Gerald Alston, Edward "Sonny" Bivins, Winfred "Blue" Lovett, Kenneth Kelly, Richard Taylor and George Smith were the inductees. Gerald Alston was in attendance to accept the honor. Blue Lovett's widow Anna, and daughter, and Sonny Bivins son Mark, and daughter Pamela were also in attendance.
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Album
! colspan="6"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Certifications
! rowspan="2"| Record label
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"| US<br />
! width="35"| US<br />R&B<br />
! width="35"| CAN<br />
! width="35"| NLD<br />
! width="35"| UK<br />
|-
||1966
| align="left"| Dedicated to You
| —
| 19
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
| rowspan="2"| Carnival
|-
||1967
| align="left"| For You and Yours
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
|-
||1970
| align="left"| With These Hands
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
| rowspan="2"| De Luxe
|-
||1972
| align="left"| A Million to One
| —
| 35
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
|-
||1973
| align="left"| There's No Me Without You
| 150
| 19
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
| rowspan="11"| Columbia
|-
||1974
| align="left"| That's How Much I Love You
| 160
| 59
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
|-
||1976
| align="left"| The Manhattans
| 16
| 6
| 39
| 11
| 3
| 37
| align=left|
- RIAA: Gold
|-
||1977
| align="left"| It Feels So Good
| 68
| 12
| —
| 78
| —
| —
| align=left|
- RIAA: Gold
! width="35"| UK<br />
| align=left rowspan="2"| The Manhattans
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1976
| style="text-align:left;"| "Kiss and Say Goodbye"
| 1
| 1
| 12
| 4
| 7
| 1
| 1
| 4
| align=left|
- RIAA: Platinum
- MC: Gold
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "I Kinda Miss You"
| 46
| 7
| —
| —
| 45
| —
| —
| 59
| align=left|
| align=left rowspan="4"| It Feels So Good
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1977
| style="text-align:left;"| "It Feels So Good to be Loved So Bad"
| 66
| 6
| —
| —
| 78
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "It's You"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 43
| align=left|
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "We Never Danced to a Love Song"
| 93
| 10
| —
| —
| 83
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1978
| style="text-align:left;"| "Am I Losing You"
| 101
| 6
| —
| —
| 96
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
| align=left rowspan="2"| There's No Good in Goodbye
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Everybody Has a Dream"
| —
| 65
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1979
| style="text-align:left;"| "Here Comes the Hurt Again"
| —
| 29
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
| align=left rowspan="2"| Love Talk
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "The Way We Were" / "Memories" <small>(medley)</small>
| —
| 33
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1980
| style="text-align:left;"| "Shining Star"
| 5
| 4
| 21
| 67
| 6
| —
| 2
| 45
| align=left|
- RIAA: Platinum